Cream-float-locking device.



M. S. TAEKINGTON.

CREAM FLOAT LOCKING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 25, 1909. RENEWED MAY 18, 1910.

962,799. Patented June 28,1910.

- UNITED STATES PATENT ornron.

MATTHEW SIMPSON TARKINGTON, OF TULARE, CALIFORNIA.

CBEAM-FLOAT-LOCKING DEVICE.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MATTHEW SIMPSON TARKINGTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Tulare, in the county of Tulare and State of California, have invented a new and useful Cream-Float-Locki11g Device, of which the following is a specification.

The objects of the invention are, generally, the provision in a merchantable form, of a device of the class above described, which shall be inexpensive to manufacture, facile in operation, and devoid of complicated parts; specifically, the provision of novel means whereby a float may be securely locked within a receptacle against movement therein; other and further objects being made manifest hereinafter as the description of the invention progresses.

The invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, delineated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in that portion of this instrument wherein patentable novelty is claimed for certain distinctive and peculiar features of the device, it being understood, that, within the scope of what hereinafter thus is claimed, divers changes in the form, proportions, size, and minor details of the structure may be made, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Similar numerals of reference are em ployed to denote corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings,-Figure 1 shows my invention in top plan; and Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section upon the line XX of Fig. 1.

By way of explanation I will state that in the transportation of cream, such transportation is commonly attended with a certain amount of butter formation, by the agitation of the cream in the vessel in which it is shipped. The processes employed by the creameries to which these shipments are made, prevents separation and selling of this accidentally formed butter with the butter obtained in the creameries by legitimate churning. This superfluous butter consequently becomes a total loss or is disposed of with the butter-milk at less than it would bring, could it be separated profitably. This invention seeks to provide a means whereby Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. June 25, 1909, Serial No. 504,332.

Patented June 28, 1910.

Renewed May 18, 1910. Serial No. 562,068.

the float may be so securely locked within the cream-receptacle, that there shall be none of this accidental butter formation hereinbefore referred to.

In the accompanying drawings there is shown a cream-receptacle or can, of ordinary construction, and denoted by the numeral 1. Slidably mounted within the can 1, and fitting closely therein, is a float 2 provided with a centrally sloping deck 5, from the central, lowermost portion of which depends a tube 6. Mounted upon the upper face of the deck 5 are sup orts 7 and 8, longitudinally alined in the ciameter of the float, and having their supporting surfaces l and 1 1 disposed in a common horizontal plane, flush with the upper edge of the float.

The locking device which is denoted by the numeral 8, is adapted to rest upon the supporting surfaces let and H, and comprises an extensible arm 9 adapted to engage, when extended, the upright wall of the receptacle 1. This arm 9 comprises movable sections 10 and 11 having their adjacent ends disposed in overlapping relation as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Mounted upon the extremities of the members 10 and 11 are resilient shoes which are adapted to engage the wall of the receptacle. These shoes include resilient strips 20 adapted to extend upon either side of the sections with which they are assembled, and to conform to, and closely to engage, the inner face of the cam 1, when, as shown in Fig. 1, the arm 9 is extended and in locked position. These strips 20 are provided with lugs 20 which engage similar lugs upstanding from the extremities of the sections 10 and 11, any suitable means being employed, when desired or considered necessary, to assemble the lugs with each other. The support 7 is provided, adjacent its outer end, with a socket 12, and this socket 12 is duplicated, substantially, both as to form and in point of location, in the support 8 by a socket 12. Adjacent its inner end, the support 8 is provided with a socket 13. These sockets 12, 12 and 13 are adapted to receive, to hold against rotation, the polygonal ends of retaining members, illustrated in the form of threaded bolts 15, 15 and 16. The sections 10 and 11 are provided with longitudinally disposed slots 22, adapted to receive the members 15, 15 and 16, so that the said sections may slide thereon. The member 10 is provided with a longitudinally disposed slot 22 disposed above the slot 22 of the other section, and through these slots 22 and 22, the retaining member 16 passes. The retaining members carrying clamping means adapted to engage the sections 10 and 11, the said clamping means in this instance, being illustrated in the form of wing nuts 17 17 and 18.

The section 11 is provided with an opening 23 designed to receive a bolt 26, which, upstanding above the upper face of the section 11, serves as a pivot member, upon which is rotatably mounted, a cam 19. This cam 19 which is carried by the section 11 is adapted to engage the inner extremity of the section 10, to force said sections apart, to cause the strips 20 to engage the wall of the receptacle 1.

Rising from the upper face of the cam 19, are laterally spaced cars 35 between which is mounted, intermediate its ends, a latch lever 36. One end of this latch-lever 36 is adapted to register in a series of serrations 39 upon the upper face of the lug 2a which upstands from the inner end of the section 10. Studs 38 rise from the cam 19 adjacent the periphery thereof and between these studs the locking end of the latch-lever is adapted to reciprocate. A suitable spring 37, of any approved form, may be interposed between the latch-lever 36 and the cam 12), whereby the latch-lever may be actuated to engage normally, the serrations 39.

The operation of the device whereby the float may be locked at any desired height within the can 1, is as follows :After the cream, which is denoted by the numeral 28 has been placed within the can 1, the float 2 is also placed therein, the cylindrical wall l of the float fitting closely within the can or receptacle 1. The float is allowed to descend until it rests in floating relation upon the cream 28, an air space 29 beneath the iiiclined deck of the float, serving to uphold it. The wing nuts 17, 17 and 18 being loose, the extending arm of the cam 19 and the extremity of the latch-lever 36 are grasped simultaneously. By this operation, the locking end of the latch-lever is raised out of engagement with the serrations 39 and the cam, is, at the same time, rotated, forcing the sections 10 and 11 in opposite directions, the resilient strip 20 en aging the inner wall of the receptacle 1. A ter the sectionsconstituting the arm 9 are thus extended, holding the float frictionally within the receptacle, the latch-lever 36 is released, whereupon it will engage the serrations 39, at once holding the cam against rotation, and looking the extensible arm 9 in terminal contact with the wall of the receptacle. As a further protection, and in order to make the device more secure, the wing nuts 17, 17 and 18, may then be tightened, in which condition the device may be transported, the float being held firmly in position, and the cream within the receptacle being restrained against agitation.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is 1. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle; a float located within the receptacle; an extensible arm arranged to extend across the float and comprising movable sections arranged to engage the receptacle; a rotatable member carried by one section and arranged to engage the other section to extend the arm; and a locking device pivotally carried by the rotatable member and arranged to engage the other sec tion; the rotatable member and the locking device being provided with extensions arranged to be grasped for simultaneous manipulation.

2. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle; a float located within the receptacle; an extensible arm carried by the float and comprising movable sections arranged to engage the receptacle; a cam carried by one section and arranged to engage the other section to extend the arm; and a locking device mounted upon the cam and arranged to engage the last-named section.

3. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle; a float located within the receptacle; an extensible arm carried by the float and comprising movable sections arranged to engage the receptacle; and a cam carried by one section and arranged to engage the other section to extend the arm.

t. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle; a float located within the receptacle; an extensible arm carried by the float and comprising movable sections arranged to engage the receptacle; a cam carried by one section and arranged to engage the other section to extend the arm; and a latch-lever mounted upon the cam and arranged to engage the last named section.

5. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle; a float located within the receptacle; an extensible arm carried by the float; resilient shoes mounted upon the extremities of the arm and arranged to engage the receptacle; and means for extending the arm.

6. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle; a float located within the receptacle; an extensible arm carried by the float and comprising movable sections; resilient shoes mounted upon the extremities of the sections and arranged to engage the receptacle; and a cam carried by one section and arranged to engage the other section to extend the arm.

7 A device of the class described comprising a receptacle; a float located Within the 1 receptacle; an extensible arm carried by the float and comprising movable sections; resilient shoes mounted upon the extremities of the sections and arranged to engage the receptacle; a cam carried by one section and arranged to engage the other section to extend the arm; and a latch-lever mounted upon the cam and arranged to engage the last named section.

8. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle; a float located Within the receptacle; supports mounted upon the float; retaining members rising from the supports; an extensible arm slidably mounted upon the supports and arranged to engage the receptacle, the arm being apertured to receive the retaining members; means for extending the arm; and clamping means car ried by the retaining members and arranged to engage the arm.

9. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle; a float located Within the receptacle; supports mounted upon the float; retaining members rising from the supports, an extensible arm slidably mounted upon the supports and comprising movable sections arranged to engage the receptacle and apertured to receive the retaining members; a cam carried by one section and arranged to engage the other section to extend the arm; and clamping means assembled With the retaining members and arranged to engage the sections.

10. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle, a float located Within the receptacle; supports mounted upon the float; retaining members rising from the supports; an extensible arm slidably mounted upon the supports and comprising movable sections arranged to engage the receptacle and apertured to receive the retaining members; a cam carried by one section and arranged to engage the other section to extend the arm a latch lever mounted upon the cam and arranged to engage the last named section; and clamping means carried by the retaining members and arranged to engage the sections.

11. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle; a float located Within the receptacle; supports mounted upon the float; retaining members rising from the supports; an extensible arm slidably mounted upon the supports and apertured to receive the retaining members; resilient shoes mounted upon the extremities of the arm; means for extending the arm; and clamping means carried by the retaining members and arranged to engage the arm.

12. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle; a float located Within the receptacle; supports mounted upon the float; retaining members rising from the supports; an extensible arm slidably mounted upon the supports and comprising movable sections apertured to receive the retaining members; resilient shoes carried by the sections and arranged to engage the receptacle; a cam carried by one section and arranged to engage the other section to extend the arm; and clamping means carried by the retaining members and arranged to engage the sections.

13. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle; a float located Within the receptacle; supports mounted upon the float; retaining members rising from the supports; an extensible arm slidably mounted upon the supports and comprising movable sections apertured to receive the retaining members; resilient shoes carried by the sections and arranged to engage the receptacle; a cam carried by one section and arranged to engage the other section to extend the arm; a latch lever carried by the cam and arranged to engage the last named section; and clamping means assembled with the retaining members and arranged to engage the sections.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

I MATTHEW SIMPSON TARKINGTON.

Witnesses:

O. L. RUSSELL, HAZEL BAKER. 

